Yarn feed, binder, and cutter



May 7, 1946. 'o. FREGEQLVLE 3 2,399,729

YARN FEED BINDER, AND CUTTER Fil ed Feb. 1*, 1945 :s Sheets 5heet 1 May 7, 1 946.

O. .FREGEOLLE YARN FEED, B INDERQ AND CUTTER Filed Feb. 1, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENZTOE: flsmniksawug 7 May 7, 1946. o. FREGEOLLE YARN FEED, BINDER, AND CUTTER Filed Feb. 1, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet s Patented May 7,

Oscar Fregeolle,

Hempllfll Company,

Application February 1,1945, Serial No. 575.593

Central Falls, R. 1., assignor to Central Falls, R. L, acorporation of Massachusetts I 6Claims. (Cl. 66-145) This invention relates to an improvement in circular, independent needle, knitting machines and particularly to a yarn lever and outside binder and cutter. They were designed for use at the auxiliaryside of the machine but they may be used elsewhere, if desired. As is well-known, when the usual type of yarn lever is raised out of action a slot in the carrier ring remains which is highly dangerous to the needle latches. Various expedients have been improvised to correctthis condition such as providing the yarn lever with a tongue-like projection positioned so as to fill the slot when the lever is raised, tapering the ends of the slot so that it the latches engage them they will strike a slopin surface etc.-

One of the advantages of the yarn lever of this away from the needle circle when it moves out of feeding position. Consequently, the yarn binder and cutter are also mounted outside the needle circle. The advantage of this arrangement is that, when the yarn is not being fed, it lies entirely outside the needle circle so that there is no possibility of entanglement with other yarns fed invention is that it is mounted on the underside from inside the needle circle as by an ordinaryyarn lever or any well-known type of eccentric or concentric wrap spindle.

One form of the invention drawings of which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view from below of the carrier ring or the Banner type, circular independent, needle knitting machine showing the auxiliary yarn feed in its inoperative position and also showing the outside binder and cutter in action;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the binder and cutter viewed from ing the yarn grab in extended position; Fig. 3 is a view of the carrier ring and outside binder similar to Fig. 1 with the exception that the auxiliary yarn lever is shown in its yarn feeding and temporarily inactive positions;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the inverted carrier rin yam feed and binder;

is shown in the inside the cylinder and showring which controls the latches.

Fig. 5 is a plan view from above oi the carrier ring showing the auxiliary yarn feed and outside binder and part of the operating mechanism;

Figs. 6 and! are respectively, of part of the operating mechanism of the auxiliary yarn leverj and Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustratin the means whereby the binder and cutter are operated;

As best shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4 the auxiliary yarn lever I is mounted on plate 2 onthe underside of carrier ring lever I is provided "with an alleling a radial axis of the cylinder when in feeding position through which a screw 5 passes into plate 2. Surrounding screw 5 and passing through slot 4 is a flanged collar 8 by means oi! which lever I is supported beneath carrier ring 2 so that it can move to a limited extent radially of the needle cylinder as indicated in Fig. 3 and also can swing upon collar 6 as a pivot into the position shown in Fig. l. Collar 8 is so arranged that it may be locked securely against rotation by means of screw 5 without similarly afiectin lever I. A spring 1 attached to collar 6 and to a suitably positioned pin 8 on lever I urges lever I into its yarn feeding position indicated at 9 in Fig. 3. When in this position it that the feeding eyelet III of lever I is outside of, although close to, the needle circle. Because lever I is below the carrier ring it need not be broken as is necessary when the usual vertically movable type of yarn lever is employed but remains intact as shown in Fig. 5. Therefore, the usual probilgm el isary to recess the carrier ring from the top down recess need not extend to that part is normally 3) by means of spring 1. ment is assured by stop I2. .It the feeding of this yarn is temporarily discontinued thisv may be done by simply moving the position indicated at II in Fig. 3. The means for doing this will be described later. The yarn lever is still maintained in radial alignment with the cylinder bystop I2 and also by stop II on the other side. when the yarn lever is in position IS the yarn will not be taken by the needles. However, a slight inward movement will again place the yarn lever in yarn feeding position 8. Obviously, as already stated, the yarn lever plan and elevational v-iews,-

3. As shown in Fig. 3 yarn elongated slot 4 parwill be noted yarn lever' I back to can be the moving of quickly shifted from another.

To throw yarn lever I completely out of action when, for example, the knitting of this particular yarn is discontinued for a considerable time, the lever is pulled back to the extreme end of slot 4 where its edge I5 will clear stop I4. Thereupon the lever will swing upon collar 6 as a pivot into the position shown in Fig. 1 at which the yarn can be taken by the-binder and cutter. When the yarn is in the binder it remains outside of the needle circle until the yarn lever l is again moved to its feeding position 3 (Fig. 3).

The means shown for moving yam lever I from one of these positions to its feeding position to its inactive position l3 and its out swung position shown in Fig. 1 consists of a bell crank l6 pivoted to some fixed part of the machine so as to swing in a plane radial to the needle cylinder and also so that its upper end formed into a finger I! will project in front of an arm i8 offset from a rod I9 which illustrates a suitable coupling to any suitable type of timed operating mechanism usually a cam drum.

Assuming the yarn lever to be in its yarn feeding position 9 a slight backward rocking of bell crank finger i! will move the leverback to its temporary inactiveposition II. The tendency of finger IT to swing the yarn lever beyond its pivot is overcome by stop I4.

Further backward movement of bell crank it causes its-finger." to draw the yarn lever further away from the cylinder until stop I4 is disengaged from side ii of the yarn lever and engages with the sloping surface 20. Because of the oilset position of lever I8 yarn lever I will then be sprung upon its pivot under the guidance of stop I 4 and surface 20 into the completely out position shown in Fig. 1 at which the yarn can be taken by the binder and cutter, as already stated.

moved back again into position I3 by rocking bell crank I6 forward, lever I being efiected by the spring I under the control of finger II. The tension of spring 1 can be varied by turning collar 6 to which it is attached.

The lever is and 9 simply the rear end of yarn lever I. The other end of hell crank I6 is attached to A form of binder and cutter for use with this yarn lever, generally indicated by 2| in Figs. 14, is mounted on the outside of the carrier ring by a bracket 22. Bracket 22 supports a fixed blade 23 adjacent the middle of which is fixed a stud 24 having a nut 23. A second blade 23 is mounted alongside blade 23 by means of stud 24, which passes through a slot 21 in blade 26 and nut 26. Therefore, member 26 can be given a longitudinal sliding movement with respect to blade 23.

Sliding contact between blades '23 and 26 is maintained by a leaf spring 26, also supported by stud 24, the end 23 of which is sharpened to constitute a yarn cutter. As best shown in Fig. 2,

Blade 26 is provided with an extension 32 at the end opposite hook 30 suitably connected to suitably timed operating mechanism such, for example, as that shown in Figs. 5 and 8 whereby blade 26 is projected to grab the yarn. This consists of a rock lever 33 which bears against pin 34 projecting from end 32 of member 26. Rock-lever 33 is in turn connected to a lever 35 operated by a cam drum 36. This arrangement and its operation is such that, whenever the binder is to receive a yarn, blade 26 will be proiected toward yarn lever I as shown in Fig. 2 and will be released to be returned by spring 3| to its normal binding position as soon as the yarn is taken.

I claim:

1. In a knitting machine having a carrier ring and needle cylinder, the combination of a yarn feeding lever beneath said carrier ring, means for positioning said lever radially of said cylinder with its yarn feeding end in close proximity to the needle cylinder, means for moving said yarn lever radially of said cylinder into a non-feeding position and for moving said yarn lever in a nonradial, outward direction into another non-feeding position.

2. In a knitting machine having a carrier ring and needle cylinder, the combination of a yarn feeding lever beneath said carrier ring, means for positioning said lever radially of said cylinder with its yarn feeding end in close proximity to the needle cylinder, means for moving said yarn lever radially of said cylinder into a non-feeding position and for moving said yarn lever in a nonradial, outward direction into another non-feed ing position, a binder and cutter and means for operating them so as to bind and cut the yarn when said yarn lever is in its last mentioned position.

3. In a knitting machine having a carrier ring and needle cylinder, the combination of a yarn one end of blade 26 is provided with a hook 36 by means of which the yarn extending from yam lever I to the needles is grabbed when the yarn lever is swung into its completely out position shown in Fig. i. To do this blade 26 is. moved toward the yarn lever'so that hook 3| proiects considerably beyond blade 23 as shown in Fig. 2. When in this position hook 30 will catch the yarn when the yarn lever is swung out as shown in Fig. 1. Thereupon blade 23 is retracted so that hook 33 lies inside the ends of blade 23 and cutter 29 with the result that the yarn is cut and securely held between blade 23 and blade 23.

The position of the binder and cutter with feeding lever radially positioned beneath said carrier ring when in yarn feeding position, means for moving said lever radially away from said feeding position into a non-feeding position and for swinging said lever non-radially and outwardly into another non-feeding position and means for returning said lever to its radial feeding and non-feeding positions under the control of said first mentioned means.

4. In a knitting machine having a carrier ring and needle cylinder, the combination of a yarn feeding lever radially positioned beneath said carrier ring when in yarn feeding position, means for moving said lever radially away from said feeding position into a non-feeding position and for swinging said. lever non-radially and outwardly into another non-feeding position and means-for returning said lever to itsradial feeding and non-feeding positions under the control of said first mentioned means and a binder and cutter so positioned as to bind and cut the yarn when said lever is in its second mentioned nonfeedlng' position.

5. In a knitting machine having a carrier ring and needle cylinder, the combination of a yam feedinglever mounted upon the underside of the ala om'nm 3 eerrierrinleoutoberediallvendrookably movable with respect to the needle cylinder, reailient means tor normeliy reteininz said lever in a radial yarn teedinz' position, means for moving said lever into a nonfeeding position and for rocking said lever into another non-Ieedinz politionv 6. In a knitting machine name a carrier rim:

and a needle cylinder, the combination or a yarn lever provided with an elongated slot parallel to a radial axis of said cylinder whenin yarn teedinz position, pivot peesinlthrouzh and means for oauain: said yarn lever to, move uw ma pivot radially within the limits of said slot and to swing horizontally upon said pivot; 

